X-Rated waves: PBC residents to appear in X GamesBy Hal Habib Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Sunday, July 30, 2006 Roofers and generator salesmen aren't the only ones who find a bright side to hurricanes. Add to this list a bunch of thrill-seekers who, when the barometer plummets, can be seen pointing their SUVs east over Palm Beach County's bridges when everyone else is making a beeline west. That's the mentality of Florida's surfing community, which endures enough abuse in calmer times from its peers, especially those from Hawaii, Mexico and California. For Florida surfers such as Ryan Helm, trying to reason with the hurricane season is a breeze. "It's always something we have to look forward to in the summertime," says Helm, 31, of Jupiter Beach. "Other people are getting all scared of hurricanes. We're kind of hoping they come our way." It's his job. Helm is a professional surfer, and come next weekend, he'll be (ahem) working on ABC as part of the 12th edition of the X Games. Joining him for competition taped this month in Mexico were Baron Knowlton of Lake Worth and Peter Mendia of West Palm Beach. "We have some great waves in the Palm Beach area," Helm says. "In the right swell, it can be world class. A lot of people look at Florida as being not the greatest surf spot, but with the right swell, every place can be perfect." Maybe so, but it's not Mexico. Helm knew enough about the waves there that one day he packed up his surfboard for a one-month visit. "I wound up staying down a lot longer than I expected," Helm says. Five years, to be exact. When he finally got around to returning to Florida, it was with a wife, Paola, and son, Leon, now 4. Just to complete the picture, he and Paola met while surfing. An athletic family? You could say that. Helm's father, Jim, is a surfer when he's not playing tennis, running or doing yoga. His mother, Kim, plays tournament-level tennis. But brother Drew, 21, might outdo them all. Drew was The Palm Beach Post's soccer player of the year in 2002 out of Jupiter High. He went on to play for FAU before being the No. 1 overall pick in Major League Soccer's supplemental draft this year, for the Los Angeles-area club Chivas USA. He's a forward who has seen spot duty as a rookie. Ryan watched Drew play during a recent stop in California for surfing's U.S. Open. It was Ryan's last stop before current competition in Japan. The X Games were in the powerful surf of Puerto Escondido, with the competition being an East vs. West team event rather than for individual glory. "We wound up losing, but it was an enjoyable experience," Helm says. Although frustrated by some recent performances, Helm consistently has reached at least the quarterfinals of his U.S. pro tournaments in the past three years. In November, he won the Quiksilver King of the Peak Contest in Sebastian Inlet. Even if he has the occasional bad day surfing ... he's still surfing. "It's definitely been a blessed life," Helm says. "I've gotten to see a lot of places in the world that I've always wanted to see and met some really good people. I'm surfing all around the world. That's been my dream growing up." X Games XII
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